Leave The Pieces
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: Her reaction time wasn't fast enough to prevent Sophie from pulling the trigger again. She landed on her knees beside her partner, and she instinctively covered his body with hers when she heard the gun go off again.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, who else was disappointed by that slightly anticlimactic ending? I mean, it was a little creepy, but what the heck? Anyway, I started this a couple of days ago, and trekkerforlife joined me tonight after the season finale. Basically this is an AU (the first of many from me...) in which Melinda doesn't get shot, but someone else does... Mwahahah. So enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: Not ours!

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"Sophie, don't!"

Olivia saw the whole scene play out in front of her like a horrible nightmare, and she was powerless to stop it. Jo ducked as Sophie pulled the trigger, and instead of fatally wounding the ADA, the bullet plowed ahead and lodged itself in Elliot's shoulder.

Jo froze, her mouth open in a silent scream as Olivia dove forward. But her reaction time wasn't fast enough to prevent Sophie from pulling the trigger again. She landed on her knees beside her partner, and she instinctively covered his body with hers when she heard the gun go off again.

Warner moved fast, ignoring Sophie's scream, and dropped down beside the two cops. She gently grasped Olivia's arm, gently urging her to move away. "Liv, let me see him." Her voice was gentle and reassuring.

Cautiously, Olivia moved just enough for Warner to get a look at her partner. His blood was everywhere…

Warner quickly applied pressure to Elliot's shoulder. "Hang on, Elliot."

Olivia paled when she looked down and saw the blood gushing from her partner's abdomen. "Melinda..."

Warner turned her head. This wasn't good... She met the other woman's eyes. "Olivia, I need you to focus."

The brunette nodded shakily. "What do we do?" She could not lose her partner. She just couldn't.

Warner held her hands tighter against Elliot's shoulder. "Olivia, he's going to lose a lot of blood before we can get him out of here, unless we can stop it."

Olivia felt a wave of nausea pound into her, but she shook it off. "What do I do?"

She briefly took her hand away from Elliot's shoulder wound, then took Olivia's hand. "The bullet nicked an artery." She guided Olivia's hand. "Just keep the pressure right there."

Olivia grimaced and almost lost it when she felt her partner's warm blood on her hand, but she forced herself to hold it together.

A sudden spike of pain brought Elliot back to his senses. Blinking, he looked around. He was lying on his back on the floor of the morgue, and he saw Melinda and Olivia leaning over him.

Warner quickly removed her jacket and resumed applying pressure to Elliot's shoulder. What she was afraid of, what she didn't want to tell Olivia unless it was absolutely necessary, was that the bullet had not gone straight through his shoulder. Which meant that it was very likely doing some damage to his vital organs.

"Liv? Doc?"

Warner nodded. "Try not to move, Elliot." Her eyes were filled with worry.

Olivia looked into her partner's eyes. "We're going to get you out of here, El." There was a slight waver in her voice, one that she desperately tried to conceal.

It wasn't hard for him to tell that whatever shape he was in, it wasn't good. He returned her gaze, trying to say without words what he couldn't say aloud.

She wanted desperately to reassure him, but she couldn't risk moving her hands. So she did the next best thing. "Just keep your eyes on me, El. We'll get you out of here as fast as we can."

Warner stared down at her hands and continued to apply pressure. Suddenly she felt as though she were intruding on a very private moment between the two partners. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

The moment was soon shattered by a shrill, unintelligible yell in French from Sophie. Jo pleaded with the distraught, slightly insane woman. "Sophie, please-you want to keep you son safe, right?"

"Of course." Even distressed as she was, the accent made every syllable seem beautiful, sing-song, almost.

"Detective Stabler could die on that floor." Jo pointed behind her. "If you want to protect him, keep him safe and shielded, you wouldn't want him to see that, would you?"

Slowly, Sophie shook her head. "You," she said voice shaking slightly, swinging her hand that held the gun in Melinda's direction. "You and Detective Benson-get him out of here."

Melinda nodded. "Jo, could you give us a hand?" She tried to make her voice as calm and non threatening as she could.

Copying Melinda's tone, Jo spoke again. "Sophie, they need my help to get him to a gurney so they can leave; I will come right back. Is that alright?"

The woman nodded yet again. Jo strode quickly over to the two women bent over Elliot on the floor.

Melinda met Jo's eyes, then looked at Olivia. "No matter what, Liv, do not let go."

Olivia nodded, keeping her hands in place as Jo and Melinda managed to lift Elliot onto the gurney.

The pain of movement shot through Elliot as he was moved and, though he barely managed to stifle a groan, he failed to keep the expression of severe pain off his face.

Olivia whispered soothingly to him as Melinda grasped the gurney and pushed it to the door.

Elliot held on to those whispers like a lifeline. He could not muster enough strength to say anything back, but was determined to hold her gaze until he could no longer.

The thud of the gurney doors reached his ears; they were out of the morgue...

As soon as they went through the door, Melinda shouted, "Get those medics over here, now!"

Cragen rushed to his detectives, and his face paled when he saw that Olivia had her hand in Elliot's gut. He looked at Warner, who had a dark look on her face. The medics made their way to them, and Warner was gently ushered away.

Munch came to Cragen's side, pulling his sunglasses off and revealing his deeply concerned eyes. How had things gotten this bad?

Olivia followed alongside the gurney, terrified for her partner. She had seen the looks on Melinda's face. If she hadn't done this, Elliot would have stayed in that morgue, and she would have lost her best friend. She met his eyes again.

His eyes were still open and locked with hers, but he seemed to be having trouble focusing. Every few seconds, he would lose focus and have to get it back. _Liv...I...I'm sorry...I can't_.... "Liv..."

She nodded, desperately wanting to hug him and never let him go. "I'm here, El. I'm not going to leave you."

As the medics hummed around him, their words a jumbled mess to him, he felt more painful jolts as the gurney was lifted first down the front stairs, then into the waiting ambulance. As he was hooked up to an IV, the pain became overwhelming. Elliot caught his partner's gaze once more, then slipped into blackness.

TBC...

A/N: Uh oh, cliffie. I know, wicked. But we're at the beginning of the summer stretch with no SVU, and I'm just getting started... MWHAHAHAH! *ahem* Thanks for reading, and please review!


	2. When You're Gone

Well, we thank everyone for all the fantastic reviews! This story only has one or two chapters left, but we think everyone will like them! Enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Olivia watched her partner through the transport, and when they arrived at the hospital, she readily followed alongside as the medics rushed him into the ER. As doctors and nurses surrounded them, she felt relief that he would be taken care of.

One doctor came to Olivia's side. "Ma'am, you can let go." There was a certain urgency in his voice. "We'll take care of your husband from here."

Husband... She almost laughed bitterly. She was lucky enough to have Elliot in her life. But she was nowhere near lucky enough to be married to him. But she carefully removed her hand, and the gloved hand of a doctor replaced hers. She groaned softly, then took a chance and rested her head lightly against her partner's. "Hang on, El," she breathed, touching her bloodied hand to his cheek. "Just hang on."

Elliot was rushed away from her, and she found herself alone in the middle of all of the chaos. She finally went to the nearest waiting room, and in the eerie silence, she broke down and started to cry.

Within the hour, the waiting room was filled with officers, including Cragen, Munch and Fin. They were all talking quietly amongst themselves, exchanging stories and praying that Stabler would pull through. But no one dared to approach Olivia, who was sitting in the far corner of the room and ignoring everyone around her.

Cragen had called Kathy while waiting on news of Elliot. He hadn't been sure that it was the right idea, but as far as he knew, they were still married and she had a right to know what was going on.

Finally tired of all the chatter, Olivia silently left the crowded waiting room, leaving curious onlookers in her wake. Most everyone in the waiting room knew of their legendary partnership, and those who knew her well were smart enough to stay away. She didn't want sympathy, and she didn't want meaningless words.

She walked out of the waiting room and bumped into someone else. For a moment, she was stunned, but she quickly recovered. "Excuse me. I didn't watch-" That hair... those eyes... She was looking into the face of the woman who had left wounds on her partner's heart that still bled. "Kathy..."

"Olivia." The other woman's voice was cold and flat. "What are you doing here? I got a call from Captain Cragen saying Elliot had been injured and to come. The front desk sent me up here."

Olivia shifted uncomfortably, running a bloodied hand through her hair. "I was with him when it happened, Kathy."

Kathy's eyes wandered down Olivia's form. Whatever her feelings toward the female detective may be, she usually had a decent look to her. But now - she was very disheveled, hair askew, and...dear lord...blood was covering the entire bottom of the front of her shirt as well as her hands. "When what happened?" she asked, uncertain she wanted to hear the answer.

"It was a hostage situation... He was shot twice... It was pretty bad..."

Kathy paled slightly. "And now?"

"We don't know." I had my hand in my partner's gut for a half hour, so it was pretty fucking bad... "He's in surgery right now."

The flash of annoyance Kathy felt at not getting the information she wanted quickly turned to the beginnings of anger. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that partners were supposed to keep each other safe from this kind of stuff."

"Kathy, no one could have seen this coming..."

"Like hell! You have had these jobs for eleven years - you're supposed to know what these guys will and won't do and then stop them from doing it!" Her voice had raised in volume so a few curious nearby workers looked in their direction. Thankfully, the waiting room had a door Olivia had shut behind her when she came out. The last thing she needed now was the rest of the squad to hear her arguing with her partner's ex-wife.

Olivia paled noticeably. "The woman was unstable. I know you're angry, but I just spent a half hour with my hand in Elliot's gut to keep him from bleeding to death." Normally she was much more composed around Kathy, but at this moment, anger lurked dangerously close to the surface.

Despite the slight pang that she felt when she heard just how close Elliot had come to death, Kathy continued in her attacks. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe he wouldn't get hurt so often if he wasn't around you?"

"And maybe he would be more careful if he wasn't so worried about keeping you happy," Olivia ground out. She was losing her control quickly. "At least I've never hurt him the way you have!"

"You've kept him away from where he should be - with his wife and children! That's harm enough!"

"You aren't his wife anymore, Kathy!" Something inside of her snapped. "But I never kept him away, because I know how much his kids mean to him!"

The blonde woman returned fire at Olivia. "How can you know when you've never had any kids?"

Olivia faltered at the barb. "I may not have any of my own, but that doesn't mean I don't care about yours."

Kathy's eyes flashed. Forgetting momentarily where she was and why she was supposed to be there, she lunged at Olivia. The brunette deftly side-stepped her, turning so their positions were reversed. Kathy was quick, however, and, with a small howl of frustration, slammed her shoulder into Olivia's. The force sent both back into the side of the hallway.

Olivia was stunned, but she quickly subdued Kathy and pressed her against the cold wall. "I didn't want to do this, Kathy, but you forced my hand. I don't want you anywhere near Elliot's room."

The door to the waiting room opened as Kathy was struggling in Olivia's grip. "Don't want me in his room? I'm his wife - I'll ban you from it!"

"You're his ex wife," Olivia growled. "Ex, remember? And I'm his medical proxy."

Munch saw the two women, and he hurried forward, laying a gentle hand on Olivia's arm. "Let her go, Liv," he coaxed. "Let her go."

Olivia trembled under his hand, then pulled back and released Kathy.

He gently pulled Olivia into his arms and hugged her tight.

Olivia tensed, then melted against him. "I can't lose him, John," she whispered.

He nodded, peering over the top of his glasses at the woman who had broken Elliot's heart. "You're not going to, Liv." He gave Kathy a dirty look. "You're not."

Cragen stepped out of the waiting room, and when he saw Olivia in Munch's arms, he could only guess what happened. He took Kathy by the arm. "Kathy, why don't I get you something to eat, then you can go pick up the twins. They should be out of school soon, right?"

Kathy could barely nod as the captain lead her away, her mind still processing what she had just done.

Munch saw his partner, and he patted Olivia's back reassuringly.

Olivia trembled. "She was going to ban me from his room."

Fin came to stand beside them and pulled Olivia into a hug of his own. "Now you think we're gonna let that happen, baby girl? Just lemme go talk to those doctors; we'll get it straight."

She relaxed and nodded, relieved.

Munch gently ushered them back into the waiting room, and nearly nine hours passed before a doctor stepped into the room. Olivia was resting heavily against Fin, and Munch looked reluctant to wake her. But he knew that he had to. "Come on, Liv... Elliot's doctor is here."

Olivia immediately stood up, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she crossed the floor.

Dr. Hayes looked at Olivia. "Elliot Stabler?"

Olivia nodded, motioning to the group who had gathered around her. "That's us."

"Mr. Stabler is a very lucky man. Whoever had the presence of mind to stop the bleeding like that absolutely saved his life."

Olivia's knees nearly buckled. Thank God... "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, and he has a lot of recovery time ahead of him, but I have every confidence that he'll make a complete recovery."

A collective sigh of relief came up from the group, and Olivia felt warm tears roll down her cheeks. "Can...can I see him?"

"I'll take you to him." Hayes turned around and went back to the door.

Olivia turned and looked at the group, the appreciation clear in her eyes. Then she followed Hayes upstairs and into the ICU. She hated the ICU, because it seemed that very few people came out alive. But Elliot wouldn't be one of them...

Hayes stopped at Elliot's door and smiled at Olivia. "He's coming around, but don't excite him. He needs to rest to help his recovery."

Olivia nodded and pushed Elliot's door open slowly.

TBC...

A/N: Hahaha, another cliffie! Well, a mini cliffie! LOL. Thanks for reading, and please review!


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